Kenya prisoners vote for the first time

Record ID: 905726

  • Title: Kenya prisoners vote for the first time
  • Date: 8th August 2017
  • Summary: NAIROBI, KENYA (AUGUST 8, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PRISONERS QUEUING OUTSIDE POLLING STATION INSIDE GROUNDS OF LANGATA WOMEN'S PRISON SECURITY GUARD PRISONER WALKING INTO POLLING STATION PRISONER INSIDE POLLING STATION PRISONER HANDING OVER IDENTIFICATION CARD PRISONER'S FACE PRISONER PLACING FINGER ON ELECTRONIC VOTING MACHINE IEBC OFFICIAL STAMPING PAPERS IEBC OFFICIAL GIVING BALLOT PAPER TO PRISONER PRISONER WALKING TO POLLING BOOTH PRISONER PUTTING PAPER IN BALLOT BOX (SOUNDBITE) (English) PRISONER RUTH KAMENDE, SAYING: "It is the first time that Kenya prisoners are voting and this is a very good thing that we really appreciate. It was so smooth and very fast and we really appreciate for that." (SOUNDBITE) (English) PRISONER PAULINE NJERI, SAYING: "It is a great day for Kenya I can say, because we have been given the opportunity to come and exercise our democratic right of voting in the people we want." VARIOUS OF PRISONERS WAITING OUTSIDE AFTER VOTING TWO GUARDS LOOKING ON VARIOUS OF LANGATA WOMEN'S PRISON
  • Embargoed: 22nd August 2017 10:20
  • Keywords: Maximum Security Langata Women's Prison Voting First time
  • Location: NAIROBI, KENYA
  • City: NAIROBI, KENYA
  • Country: Kenya
  • Topics: Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
  • Reuters ID: LVA0016TAQP8N
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Women prisoners in Langata's maximum-security prison in Nairobi voted for the first time in Kenya's general elections on Tuesday (August 8). There were a couple of exceptions, including one woman who was jailed in 1974 and whose identity card was too old.
    Prisoners, who won the right to vote in a 2010 court ruling but have not been able to do so until now because of issues implementing voting in prisons, are voting for presidential candidates only.
    The presidential race is a close-fought clash that pits incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta, 55, the businessman son of Kenya's founding president, against Raila Odinga, a 72-year-old former political prisoner and son of Kenya's first vice-president.
    The arch rivals are facing each other for the second time, and opinion polls have put them neck-and-neck after two months of campaigning marked by fiery rhetoric but public speeches largely free of the ethnic hate that has sullied previous contests. The winner needs one vote more than 50 percent.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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